New York City – Seven minutes to go. Down by seven. And Kris Joseph was missing in action.

The Syracuse Orange trailed Stanford 52-45 with just over seven minutes remaining in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

At that moment, Joseph, Syracuse’s senior forward and leading scorer, had scored just six points. He had struggled under Stanford’s physical defensive pressure, missing eight of his first 11 field goal attempts.

“We were trying to contain him as much as we possibly could,’’ Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. “Trying to limit his touches. Trying to make sure he didn’t get good looks.’’

Then Joseph knocked down a jumper from just beyond the free throw line. He slithered inside Stanford’s defense for another bucket. As Syracuse jumped into its fullcourt press, Joseph stole the ball and converted with a banked-in shot.

One minute. Three shots. Six points.

Joseph’s outburst jump-started an 18-to-5 run that led to 5th-ranked Syracuse’s 69-63 victory over the Cardinal. He would finish the game with 18 points and nine rebounds, recording 12 of his points in the game’s final seven minutes.

“He did the things we need to win,’’ Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Joseph’s performance against Stanford came just two days after he put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in Syracuse’s win over Virginia Tech in the NIT semifinals. His own personal Garden party earned him the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player award.

“He had some tough shots,’’ Dawkins said. “I credit him for making shots. Our defense was good on several of those situations. Even the ones off the turnovers.

“He finished plays around the basket through contact,’’ Dawkins added. “About as good as any young man I’ve seen.’’

Syracuse improved to 6-0 for the season, while Stanford fell to 5-1.

Syracuse struggled offensively. The Orange turned the ball over a whopping 21 times. When Syracuse didn’t turn the ball over, it had trouble making a shot. Its defense saved the day, holding Stanford to 42.9 percent shooting and forcing 24 turnovers. The fullcourt press created some easy shots that made SU’s 46 percent shooting a little deceptive.

“We played 40 minutes of good defense and 35 minutes of horrendous offense,’’ Boeheim said. “We played three or four minutes of good fullcourt pressure and got back in the game.’’

Scoop Jardine scored 14 points and picked off four steals for Syracuse. Brandon Triche finished with 11 points and four steals. Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair came off the bench with 10 points apiece. The two sophomores joined Joseph on the all-tournament team.

Joseph said picking up a couple baskets in unsettled situations, on the break and after the steal, helped to get him going.

“It definitely got me going,’’ Joseph said. “I got two baskets off our press. After that it was just about heart. Not just me. Dion and C.J. made big plays. It was just about heart the last six minutes of the game.’’

Just as it had against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Syracuse trailed Stanford for most of the game.

The Orange never led by more than three points and its last lead before its late-game rally was 32-31 with just over 17 remaining in the game. Syracuse tied the game at 43-all on a Jardine layup, but a 9-2 Stanford run had given the Cardinal a 52-45 lead.

Syracuse had erased the 7-point deficit to take a 64-60 lead with 2:08 remaining when Stanford’s Chasson Randle stopped the Syracuse rally with an improbable 3-pointer that he banked in with 1:33 left in the game and time running out on the 35-second shot clock. Randle’s big break pulled Stanford to within 64-63.

That, however, would be the last points Stanford would score.

Waiters turned a steal into a breakaway basket that Stanford’s Josh Owens aided by goaltending on the play. The basket put Syracuse up 66-63 with 44.5 seconds left.

Joseph cinched the game with yet another steal; Syracuse had 19 steals on the day, and a free throw with 22 seconds remaining.

“At the end of the day, they’re a terrific team,’’ Dawkins said of the Orange. “They are definitely one of the best teams in the nation.’’